Machine Type Communication (MTC) refers to a communication scheme using one or more machines, and may also be referred to as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication. Here, a machine may be an entity that does not require direct manipulation or intervention of a user. For example, not only a device, e.g., a meter or a vending machine, including a mobile communication module but also a User Equipment (UE), e.g., a smartphone, capable of automatically accessing a network without user manipulation or intervention to perform communication may be machines. These machines are referred to as MTC devices or UEs in the present specification. That is, MTC refers to communication performed by one or more machines (i.e., MTC devices) without user manipulation or intervention.
MTC may include communication between MTC devices (e.g., Device-to-Device (D2D) communication) and communication between an MTC device and an MTC application server. Examples of communication between an MTC device and an MTC application server include communication between a vending machine and a server, communication between a Point of Sale (POS) device and a server, and communication between an electricity meter, a gas meter or a water meter and a server. In addition, MTC-based applications may include, for example, security, transportation, and healthcare applications.